After the War
by LadyTemari
Summary: The Sand Siblings travel to Konoha to pay their respects after the end of the Shinobi War. Temari finds herself delivering Shikaku's last words and wishes to a distraught Shikamaru. Shika/Tema
1. Chapter 1

_**After the War:Chapter 1 Arrival**_

"Gaara, are you sure?" Temari asked quietly. ""It's only been a week since the end of the war. Do you really think it's safe for you to leave Suna so soon?"

"You're willing to go," the red head answered as he met his sister's concerned look.

"I'm not the Kazekage," the blonde grumbled as she looked away.

"Yeah, you're willing to go because you've got a thing for Shikamaru. Anyone with eyes has noticed," Kankuro scoffed as the trio began to move towards the gates of Suna shortly after sunset. "Actually, I think everyone knows you two are a couple except for the two of you," the puppet master laughed.

"Shut it, Kankuro," the kunoichi snapped as she crossed her arms and stared straight ahead.

"Let's get going," the Kazekage ordered in a tone that ended all discussion. The wind mistress and puppeteer nodded their heads as they followed their younger brother's lead. The Kazekage guided them quickly and quietly out into the desert. Temari glanced over her shoulder to look at the Hidden Sand village. The moon was rising over the desert behind Suna giving it a dreamlike silhouette. She was happy that their village had survived the war relatively unscathed. Gaara looked back at his elder sister and realized what she was captivated by. "It's beautiful isn't it? Home," he murmured. The blonde gave a small smile as she nodded her head in agreement. "Just remember how lucky we are. Konoha was not so fortunate," the sand wielder added somberly.

Kankuro and Temari both responded with a quiet, "Understood."

* * *

oO0OooO0OooO0OooO0Oo

* * *

The three sand shinobi arrived at the Konoha gate silently late in the evening three days later. The trio stood there in silence for a few moments. The sand siblings looked around trying to get a feel of where things used to be in the town. What was left of the original village buildings were few and mainly on the outskirts of town. Konoha had been rebuilding things quickly, but the devastating damage that the Akatsuki had done to the village was still evident. Temari finally let out a long sigh as she strode ahead leading her brothers. The three nins signed in as required and asked that the knowledge of their presence only be given to the Hokage. Kotetsu and Izumo nodded in understanding, but Temari could have sworn there was a slight gleam in Kotetsu's eyes. Kakashi Hatake was now the Hokage since Tsunade had retired effective immediately after the war. Temari hoped the famous copy ninja wouldn't think twice about the Sunans signing into the village. The party checked in to the inn that had the most appropriate accommodations since the Sunan Embassy had been destroyed during the Akatsuki's attack on Konoha. Gaara and Kankuro shared a two bedroom suite next to Temari's single bedroom suite. The suites had small kitchens and living rooms separate from the bedrooms. It was around 11pm by the time they were settling into their rooms.

The blonde unpacked and decided to take a bath in an attempt to relax. Her head, her stomach, everything felt like a total mess. What was she going to do? What was she going to say? How was she going to explain why she was here? Shikaku Nara's funeral would be tomorrow morning and she should be here, but had no idea how to explain that to anyone. The initial decision was easy; she knew she had to come. Temari found that now she was in Konoha she was dealing with emotions that seemed to come from nowhere. She really had not thought through every aspect of what she was going to do. She cared about Shikamaru, but the two really weren't together. They were very close friends, but nothing romantic really had happened in all these years. There were moments, a lingering touch here and there or looking into the other's eyes for a little too long. He would occasionally grab her hand to guide her and keep it in his longer than necessary, but she wouldn't pull her hand away either. The wind mistress sighed as she dunked her head under the water trying to organize her thoughts. She washed her hair, scrubbed the sand and dirt from her limbs, and soaked in the hot water as her mind continued to churn. "Come on, pull yourself together," she cursed under her breath as she slowly climbed out the tub. The kunoichi dried her body off methodically as she began to run through different scenarios that might happen the next day. The blonde then massaged oil onto her legs trying to relieve her aching muscles. Temari began to yawn as she slipped into a comfortable yukata for sleeping and walked into the kitchen. She grabbed a towel on the way and attempted to rub her hair dry. She began to heat water for a quick cup of tea when her thoughts were interrupted by a soft knock on the door.

The blonde thought it was odd that someone would be knocking on her door at what was now midnight in Konoha when no one should know she was there. "Who is it?" she barked expecting it be Kankuro needing something.

"Shikamaru," answered the familiar voice sounding half asleep.

The Sunan opened the door to look at the Nara with a confused look on her face. "Why are you here? Shouldn't you be asleep? How did you even know I was here?" she rattled off obviously surprised. The young man was dressed in all black, ready for the funeral that would be later that day.

"I'm your escort," the spiky haired Nara replied as if it answered everything while he yawned and walked into the room.

"I didn't expect to get an escort," Temari grumbled. "I didn't expect to be noticed," she added under her breath. "Word of a secret visit sure spreads fast in Konoha," she stated as she put one hand on her hip. "Oh, I'm sorry, would you like to come in and sit down?" the kunoichi added sarcastically since the shadow user was already heading to her couch. The Sunan closed the door quietly praying that her brothers couldn't hear them. Shikamaru had his hands in his pockets as usual but his eyes were blood shot and he looked exhausted. "Kotetsu," she cursed under her breath. A small smile came to the shadow nin's lips confirming her suspicions. "You know, you don't have to worry about me. I can find my way around on my own," the blonde added in a gentler tone as she walked into the kitchen searching for two tea cups.

"No, you're in Konoha," the genius mumbled as he crumpled down onto the couch, "which means you are stuck with me." The blonde couldn't help but grin as she let out a breath trying to stifle a chuckle. The dark haired young man looked over the back of the couch to the blonde and caught a glimpse of the smile before she quickly tried to change her expression to one of concentrating on the tea. "Why are you here?" he asked quietly watching her closely.

Temari rolled her eyes before responding. "Why do you think? I'm here for your father's funeral, of course." The kunoichi was inwardly trying to control every expression and microexpression knowing full well that the genius would analyze not only what she said, but her tone and body language as well. Why was she so terrified that she felt completely transparent around him?

"I'm not going," the Nara sighed as he let his head fall back down lazily. The shadow user sprawled out on the couch like he was about to go to sleep.

The blonde kunoichi put her hands on her hips again as she growled, "What about your mother? You're going to make her do this alone?"

The shadow user lifted his head up just enough that one eye peered up at Temari with a look of disgust. When her green eyes met his gaze he groaned and buried his face back into the couch.

"Temari, please trust me. She's stronger than you think," the dark haired shinobi sighed. "You're arrival gave me the excuse I needed. I just need to get away from everyone," the genius pleaded as he lay on the couch. He waited with his eyes closed for her counter point, but all he heard was silence. He felt her sit on the couch and nudge him over a little as he heard two tea cups placed down on the table in front of the couch. The young man slowly opened his eyes to see the kunoichi studying him with a thoughtful look on her face. She gestured for him to take the tea, so he sat up as he reached for the warm glass.

"You really don't want to go?" she asked with concern and slight confusion written across her face. The kunoichi was genuinely terrifying the majority of the time, but the shadow user enjoyed seeing these rare moments where it was so obvious that she cared more about others than she let on. Shikamaru responded by simply nodding and looking at the kunoichi with an expression he hoped didn't look too much like a puppy. "OK," the blonde sighed. "I'll help your mother with everything today while you stay here. Try to get some rest though, you look like crap. When was the last time you got any sleep?"

"Really?" the black haired nin asked almost like an awestruck child totally avoiding her question.

"Yeah," answered Temari clearly not believing what she was doing herself. "It's on two conditions though," she added quickly. "We play shogi tonight after everything and I go with you when you do go to pay your respects to your father."

"Deal," the Nara answered with a relieved look on his face.

"Guess I need to get some sleep since I'll need to head to your house early in the morning then," the kunoichi grumbled as she sipped on her tea.

"Mom's house," Shikamaru corrected. "I'm the Nara clan head now and have to have my own home." The dark haired man stared blankly across the room as he let the words linger. Temari watched his demeanor change as his eyes began to glaze over.

"Hey," she said with surprising tenderness, "you need to take things one step at a time. All you need to think about is getting through today first."

"I don't have that luxury," he answered with that faraway look still in his eyes. "So many things need to be done now."

"No," interrupted the blonde. "You need to take care of yourself and I will help in whatever way I can. Do you understand, Nara?" Temari emphasized her words as she placed her cup back on the table with a loud thud.

The shadow user blinked a few times, refocusing his eyes as he turned to look at the kunoichi. He reached out and took her right hand in his. He couldn't help but chuckle at the fact that his hand was slightly shaking. He had so much on his shoulders right now and had tried to talk with his mother, Choji, and even Ino, but it just wasn't the same as talking to this crazy woman. There was something about her and her demeanor that just really helped him. She was caring, yet brutally honest, which was so refreshing. The kunoichi's hand was rough and calloused from hours of training, yet small and delicate compared to his. The blonde was frozen staring at him, her eyes held a combination of concern and fear. She was trying to cover it and act as though this was no big deal, but her eyes betrayed her. "Why do you care, Temari?" he whispered watching her with eyes that seemed to have brightened compared to when he first arrived.

The woman's face flushed for an instant as her pupils dilated quickly. She recovered promptly and replaced her mask of indifference. "I just do," she huffed defensively. She could feel her own hand begin to tremble slightly as well. The blonde tried to slowly pull her hand free, but the shadow user simply adjusted his grip and placed his other hand on top of hers. She was looking at their hands and slowly lifted her eyes to meet his. Her eyes drifted to his lips then quickly back up to his eyes. _'Damn it, Temari,'_ she inwardly cursed _. 'Don't give him such ridiculous and obvious signs! Why can't you control yourself better?'_

"Troublesome," the genius murmured as he genuinely smiled at her. The spiky haired shinobi rarely beamed like that and it made Temari just melt inside when they had moments like this. She knew that she was the same way though; there was something about him that made her genuinely happy. The wind mistress couldn't help but smile for some reason when she was around him.

"I need to get to bed," the blonde snapped with slight panic in her voice as she stood up. _'I'm too obvious, I look desperate, I have got to get away from him,'_ she thought quickly. Shikamaru didn't let go of her hand though and actually used her own momentum to pull her back down onto the couch beside him with a light tug. The dark haired Nara released her hand as he wrapped his arms around her to soften her fall while pulling her close to him. He moved one hand behind her head as he rested his head gently against the side of hers.

"Thank you," he murmured.

They were so close she could feel the warmth of his breath as he spoke. Shikamaru was holding her tenderly and it made her feel light headed. ' _Is this what happens to Hinata when she is around Naruto?_ ' the kunoichi couldn't help but wonder. This all felt surreal to the Sunan. Temari's whole body initially tensed at the contact but after a few moments the kunoichi relaxed. She couldn't really remember the last time anyone had shown this kind of affection towards her.

"You owe me," she sighed as she tried to focus back on what they had been talking about.

"Yeah, I know," Shikamaru whispered as he kissed her on the forehead. The look on Temari's face was priceless. The genius could see her mind working, how uncomfortable and awkward she was in this type of situation. The shadow user settled into the corner of the couch, gently pulling Temari with him. The expression on her face became even more interesting as he could watch the conflict in her eyes. The two had talked quite a bit over the years and he knew that she really had never been affectionate with anyone other than her mother. There was an occasional hug from her father or brothers, but it seemed like when her mother died she lost the only person that she felt loved her in that mushy touchy feely kind of way. Did she come right out and tell him those things? Absolutely not, but the things she said and did had conveyed that to the Nara clearly. That was why he felt that he had to take his time and be so careful with her all these years, but now was the time to finally start moving things forward. He was running out of time.

Temari carefully moved herself so she could rest her head lightly on his chest. The kunoichi's hair was soft and damp against his cheek. Shikamaru moved his arms so he could hold her better and absentmindedly began brushing his hand lightly up and down her arm. They both let out contented sighs simultaneously which prompted Temari to look up at Shikamaru as they laughed softly. The blonde settled her head back onto the shadow user's chest as she wrapped her free arm around him. The two sat on the couch together for what may have been minutes or may have been an hour. Time seemed to stop, so neither really knew for sure.

The blonde sighed as she adjusted her body again so she could lie on top of the shadow user comfortably. He was so warm, so close. She could hear his heart beat matching the pace of her own beat by beat. This was how they were in the infinite tsukiyomi, but never in real life. There were times over the last week where Temari began to wonder what had happened between the two of them and what had not. She wondered if he had dreamed similar things.

"Since you're getting comfortable, I guess you're intending to stay here then?" the Sunan murmured as she struggled to stay awake.

"Please," he mumbled sounding well on his way to sleep.

"It's stupid for us to try to fit on this couch," Temari said sleepily. "You can come in here to bed, but don't try anything stupid. My brothers are just a yell away," she warned. The blonde didn't sound near as threatening as she would have liked to, but the exhaustion from traveling was catching up with her. She stood up from the couch and pulled on the shadow users hand to follow her.

"OK," Shikamaru answered without opening his eyes and stumbling after her.

Temari led him over to a side of the bed and sat him down there. The genius' eyes were still closed as he untied and slipped off his haori. Shikamaru then reached up and let his hair out of the spiky ponytail to let the dark locks fall down to his shoulders. The blonde was trying unsuccessfully to retreat to her side of the bed without staring. ' _When did Shikamaru start to look like a God?_ ' the kunoichi wondered in disbelief as she dropped her eyes to the floor. Temari slipped under the covers as she tried to not look over at the shirtless Nara. ' _Why? Why did he have to take that off?_ ' she thought to herself as she curled up facing the wall away from him. Temari heard the black haired nin slide under the covers and begin softly snoring in seconds. The Sunan tried counting, she tried listing jutsus she knew, and she tried many different things trying to get herself to sleep. She was exhausted and almost asleep on the couch but now found she was wide awake. She didn't know how long she had been lying there with her eyes closed, willing herself to sleep. The blonde made a conscious effort to not toss and turn. Temari was determined to face the wall and not look at the young man in bed with her. This all felt so weird, yet so familiar. She couldn't help but wonder if she just should have kept her mouth shut and slept on the couch wrapped in his arms. That felt so good and she had almost been asleep.

Shikamaru began to stir in his sleep and seemed to be coming towards her. The blonde's eyes shot wide open as he pressed up behind her and draped an arm over her. The shadow user snuggled up to her so his soft breathing was on just the right spot of her neck. This was going to drive the kunoichi insane because of how sensual it felt.

"Don't leave me, Temari," he mumbled moving his mouth close to her ear talking in his sleep.

' _What the, what am I supposed to do?_ ' Temari thought to herself wildly as she tried to slow her breathing. ' _He's just sleeping, he's just tired_ ,' she told herself. The kunoichi's mind whirred in a million different directions as the Nara resumed snoring softly. ' _Don't panic, you're fine,'_ the woman kept reassuring herself as she tried to calm down. ' _What on earth is he dreaming about_?' she wondered as she concentrated on slowing her breathing down. ' _Two seconds in, four seconds out_ ," she chanted over and over.

' _We're sleeping like an old married couple_ ,' she realized and inwardly sniggered after getting over the surprise. She smiled as she listened to his soft breathing again. This felt familiar and comforting somehow. _'We're sleeping like we did when I was in the infinite tsukiyomi,'_ she realized _. 'Did we share the same dreams?_ ' she wondered. The blonde sighed as she carefully wrapped her arm over the shadow user's arm and slowly laced her fingers in between his. "I," the woman paused trying to convince herself that he was asleep and couldn't hear her, "I won't." she answered him in a whisper. What she didn't see was the smile that came to the genius' lips as she finally settled back against him.


	2. Chapter 2:The Funeral

_**After the War:Chapter 2 The Funeral**_

Shikamaru woke up before he needed to, as usual. The first rays of sunlight were beginning to filter into the bedroom. Was this really the best he had slept in years? He honestly couldn't remember the last time he had slept so soundly. The raven haired shinobi looked fondly at the kunoichi breathing softly wrapped up in his arms. The Nara stayed where he was, just taking in everything. The way she felt against him, the smell of her hair, the sound of her breathing, and how it all just felt so perfect. ' _This is better than it was in the infinite tsukiyomi_ ,' he thought to himself as he let a contented sigh escape his lips. The nin carefully disentangled himself from the sleeping woman and slid silently out of the bed. He was standing beside the bed rearranging his side neatly as Temari rolled over and looked at him through heavy lids. "Good morning," he couldn't help but chuckle as he looked at how wild her blonde hair was.

"Hmnnn," the woman responded sleepily. "Is it time to get up already?" she asked as she rolled and stretched. What she didn't realize was that her yukata had loosened over the night and was giving the shadow user a tantalizing glimpse of her cleavage.

The Nara shrugged trying to not let his eyes drift. "You don't have to."

The blonde sat up and stood slowly as she raised one arm over her head. "I'm up, I'm up," she groaned. "It's going to be a long day. I need to get ready and head out."

"I'll fix breakfast while you get ready," Shikamaru said as he slipped his black haori back on. The genius turned to see Temari watching him as he was putting his hair back up but she quickly looked away.

"OK," she mumbled as she shuffled sleepily towards the bathroom.

000oooo000ooo

Shikamaru fixed the kunoichi an amazing breakfast that was accompanied with their usual pleasant banter. The genius couldn't help but wonder why it always made him feel good to verbally spar with the blonde. There was a knock on the door after the kunoichi left for his mother's house. Shikamaru answered the door when he saw that it was Gaara and Kankuro so he could let them know where Temari went. The conversation with her brothers began innocently enough. He eventually found himself cornered in her apartment by the protective younger brothers. The genius discovered Sunan interrogation techniques were rather interesting.

"We heard you get here around midnight last night and you stayed the night!" growled Kankuro as he leaned toward the shadow user. The puppet master was in his casual clothes without war makeup which made him eerily look like the 4th Kazekage. Gaara simply stood behind Kankuro with his arms crossed watching both of them.

"I didn't do anything!" the Nara defended with his hands up in front of himself.

The puppet master grabbed Shikamaru's haori in the center of his chest and pulled the Nara's face dangerously close to his own. "Do you think we're stupid?" he hissed.

"What are your intentions with our sister?" the Kazekage asked in his calm and monotone voice as he waved for Kankuro to back off. The puppet master looked back at the Kazekage as he released the Konoha nin reluctantly. Kankuro took a few steps back as he gave Shikamaru a venomous glare. Gaara walked forward and stood directly in front of the shadow user waiting for his answer.

Shikamaru began to rub the back of his neck as he tried to figure out the best way to explain his situation.

"I'm the Nara clan head now," he started slowly. "That means I need to find a woman that is worthy of being the second in command of the Nara clan and is capable of learning our medical techniques, traditions, and pass them down to future generations."

"What does that have to do with our sister?" barked Kankuro as his chakra began to spike. Gaara raised his hand to silence the puppet master and shook his head slowly from side to side.

"Continue," the Kazekage said coolly.

The Nara shrugged. "The only woman I can see myself with is Temari. She's the only one that challenges me, the only one that thinks like me, the only one that really understands me. We've not dated or done anything romantically. We haven't even kissed. I have to figure out what to do so I don't scare her off," the last sentence sounding more like he was thinking out loud rather than speaking to Gaara.

"Ha!" scoffed Kankuro. "Good luck with that."

Gaara shot Kankuro a look that silenced the shinobi yet again. The red head looked at the Konoha shinobi intensely for what felt like five minutes. He stared at Shikamaru as if he was looking straight into his soul. The Sunan brought a hand up thoughtfully to his chin as he narrowed his bright blue eyes.

"You intend on taking her from us and Suna," the Kazekage stated in a voice that showed no emotion.

"Well," Shikamaru began and then paused for a moment to think about how he was going to phrase his response. "Temari will decide what she wants, but if she does choose to move to Konoha doesn't that make the Suna and Konoha bond even stronger? Couldn't you make her the permanent Sunan ambassador to Konoha? Do we really have to look at it like she is an object to fight over? She can become a Nara, move to Konoha, but be put in a position that allows her to travel to Suna frequently."

"Children," the sand wielder stated as he crossed his arms again and his expression became very intimidating.

"Dual citizenship," Shikamaru answered without hesitation. "The eldest boy will still be the Nara clan heir though."

"Very well then," Gaara said softly as he took another step closer to Shikamaru putting them face to face. "You may court our sister," the Kazekage began before lowering his voice to a soft and dangerous tone, "but understand that if you hurt her in any way, Kankuro and I will make you pay." Gaara locked eyes with Shikamaru to make sure the Konoha nin understood how serious this threat was.

Shikamaru actually laughed in response. "Do you think that if I hurt her there would be anything left of me by the time she is done?" the shadow user asked as he shoved his hands into his pockets. The genius realized the two sand siblings were staring at him as if he had gone mad. He added quickly in a sincere tone, "Honestly though, I only want to make her happy. I would never intentionally hurt her."

"Good," the former jinchuriki nodded as he motioned for Kankuro to follow him towards the door.

"Thank you Kazekage-sama," the shadow user breathed.

Kankuro shook his head as he watched his younger brother walk towards the door. "You poor guy," he mumbled over his shoulder to the Nara as he turned to head out of the apartment.

"You really don't plan on going to your father's funeral?" the sand user asked as he reached the doorway.

"No," Shikamaru replied firmly.

"Our condolences on your loss and if there is anything you need," Gaara began before being interrupted.

"Other than our sister," chuckled Kankuro under his breath.

The Kazekage placed a finger to his temple as he sighed, "Please forgive him. If there is anything we can do to help, do not hesitate to let us know."

The shadow user began to rub the back of his neck again as he replied, "Thanks."

00oo00oo00oo0o

Temari found herself in awe of Yoshino Nara. The woman had the day organized and planned down to the last detail. The kunoichi from Suna found herself hurrying back and forth doing various tasks for the woman along with Ino Yamanaka, Choji Akimichi, and various Nara clan members. It was close to time for the funeral before the kunoichi had a moment to catch her breath.

"He's not coming, is he?" Ino asked quietly as Choji walked up.

Temari looked at the platinum blonde woman apologetically. "No," she whispered.

"Ino, you really should know Shikamaru better," Choji scolded. "He was the same way with Asuma. At least this time he sent us Temari to help," the big man shrugged.

"Let's go," snapped Yoshino to the three as she motioned them out the door.

"Yes, Mrs. Nara," Temari answered obediently which caused the woman to smile as the group walked towards the cemetery.

"Did you know that the Nara clan ascension ceremony is a week from today, Temari?" the dark haired woman asked.

"No ma'am. May I ask what that is?" the Sunan asked innocently. Ino and Choji were walking behind the two women and shared a very surprised look.

"Shikamaru will officially take over as the new Nara clan head. It's just a rather formal clan event," the woman answered curtly. "Will you still be in Konoha?"

"I don't know," Temari answered. "How long we stay is up to Gaara, I mean the Kazekage."

"I see," Yoshino chimed before she started in on Choji about something. Temari was just happy to be out of the line of fire for a moment. As the group arrived at the cemetery they received their directions from the Nara woman. Temari started to walk towards her brothers when Yoshino grabbed her by the shoulders. "Temari, do you see that large willow tree across the way?"

"Yes," the kunoichi answered trying not to sound confused.

"I need you to go stand under that tree," she ordered.

"It's so far away, I won't be able to hear anything," Temari started to argue.

"Sabaku no Temari, I am asking you to listen and trust me," Yoshino whispered as she looked into Temari's green eyes.

"Fine," the blonde from Suna grumbled as Yoshino let her go and pointed to the tree again. Temari made eye contact with her brothers and signaled that she would be going over to the willow. They nodded that they understood.

Temari walked to the willow and made herself almost invisible in the shade of its many branches. The blonde leaned against the large trunk that was cool to the touch as she tried to make herself comfortable. The ceremony was just starting when she felt a presence nearby.

"I thought you weren't coming," she whispered as she continued to look straight ahead.

"I'm not here," the genius answered as he moved quietly in the shadows beneath the willow tree's limbs. Temari still faced where the ceremony was happening not sure what she should say or do. The Nara leaned against the tree beside the kunoichi and rested his head against the soft bark.

"Of course you're not," the Sunan said softly as she looked down at Shikamaru's feet beside her. "You're mother told me about the ceremony next week," the blonde commented quietly.

"Mhmmm," was all the ponytailed Nara replied.

The wind user couldn't help but turn and look at the young man with a questioning look. "Are you really OK?" she murmured.

"No," the genius shrugged, "but I don't have time to feel sorry for myself. Do I?"

The blonde bit her lip and looked down, "I'm sorry."

"Why? None of this is your fault," the shadow user remarked as he slowly took her hand into his and laced his fingers between hers.

Temari looked down at their hands and then up into Shikamaru's dark eyes. There was a wild mixture of emotions in his gaze. "What do you want me to do? What can I do?" the blonde asked as she looked back down at their hands intertwined.

"You do so much more than you realize," he sighed as he ran his thumb lightly over her knuckles. "We can talk about this more tonight," he stated as he turned his eyes to his mother who was now talking.

The kunoichi felt her body begin to warm simply from holding the Nara's hand. She kept reminding herself to steady her breathing and to focus on what Yoshino was saying. The rest of the ceremony they said nothing, watching speaker after speaker but not really being able to hear what they have to say.

"I'm leaving," Shikamaru choked out as it looked like the ceremony was coming to a close. He went to pull his hand away from Temari, but found that it was her turn to not let go of his hand.

"Tonight," she stated while giving him a look that meant this was an order and not a request. He nodded his head yes in response, trying not to say anything out of fear of losing his composure. The blonde let go of him as she looked back towards the ceremony. She watched Yoshino begin thanking the mourners for coming. The mistress of the wind added before he was too far to hear her, "Don't make me worry about you. Don't make me wait because I will come find you and it won't be pretty."

The Nara snorted as he walked away. "Understood," he said softly in a tone that almost sounded endearing. The blonde tried to not turn around to watch him go, but she couldn't help but glimpse back to see his silhouette melting into the shadows. The kunoichi began to slowly walk back towards the crowd that was now mingling about after the ceremony. Yoshino was talking to her brothers now.


	3. Chapter 3: Confrontation

_**After the War:Chapter 3 Confrontation**_

Temari, Choji, and Ino were running back and forth in a large ceremonial hall of some sort that the Nara clan had. The clan apparently has the tradition of having a huge meal together after funerals and the three of them were helping Yoshino since she was the hostess. The blonde kunoichi was making sure that food was being replenished, but was also using the opportunity to watch and listen. She was learning quite a bit in a short amount of time. Choji was frantically doing dishes in the kitchen while Ino was filling everyone's drinks. The Sunan was placing a large tray of food on the table when one woman in particular was getting rather loud. The woman had been criticizing anything and everything about Shikamaru and Temari was having a hard time listening to the audacious lady.

"This is just insane. I can't believe we are making that boy the clan head. There are plenty of other Nara men that are just as capable if not more," the dark haired woman droned as she rolled her eyes.

Temari was starting to walk towards the impudent woman with some amazing killer intent rolling off of her. Ino seemed to intercept the Sunan from nowhere as she grabbed the wind mistress by the arm and directed her into the kitchen. "Not worth it," the platinum blonde hissed under her breath. "She's a crazy old bat and no one listens to her," the Yamanaka explained.

"I'll feel better," Temari snapped back as Ino guided her to a window to look out over the large hall.

"Listen," Ino said seriously as she began to point out and explain who was who in the clan. "Those women are not important," she clarified again. The Konoha kunoichi confirmed some of Temari's suspicions as she provided intel on almost every person in the hall. She explained who was high ranking, who was more likely to take a joke, who was easily offended, etc.

"Ino, why are so many of them upset about Shikamaru becoming the clan head? Sure, he is young in their eyes, but that doesn't mean that he isn't brilliant," the Sunan growled. "Being young doesn't mean that he won't do a good job," Temari huffed as she glared out the window in the direction of the two loud women from earlier.

"They just complain and gossip about everything," chimed Choji from where he was doing the dishes. "We've seen these kinds of antics ever since we can remember," the kind Akimichi added. "You get used to it, or just completely avoid it like Shikamaru," the swirl cheeked shinobi chuckled.

"Just try not to listen to them, Temari," Ino begged. "Ignore them and let's just get this day over with," she sighed. Temari noticed that there were bags under the beautiful woman's eyes and sadness behind her gaze. The Sunan had to remind herself that not only did the Ino-Shika-Cho clans lose the Nara clan head, but they also lost the Yamanaka clan head.

"Fine," the Sunan agreed reluctantly as she turned to get back to work. "Ino," the kunoichi said over her shoulder as she went back towards the hall. The platinum blonde looked at the wind mistress as she prepared two pitchers. "Thank you and my condolences on your own father," Temari nodded as she slid out the door. Ino's mouth dropped open in shock as Choji stifled a giggle at the platinum blonde's surprise. The four pigtailed blonde from Suna resumed her work, listening and watching the many unfamiliar faces in the room. The time felt like it was passing by so slowly. Temari was about to turn around from a table and head for the kitchen when she almost fell over a little black haired girl.

"I'm, I'm, I'm so sorry," the little girl sputtered appearing on the verge of tears.

"It's OK, it was an accident," Temari said soothingly as she helped the girl up. "Were you trying to get some food? I can help you."

The little girl shook her head no as she looked really hard at Temari. "You have green eyes," the child stated. Temari shook her head yes as she looked at the girl now feeling quite puzzled. "You have blonde hair too, so does that mean you are the Kazekage's sister?" she asked now getting more excited.

The kunoichi chuckled, "Yes, did you know he is actually," she leaned down to whisper conspiratorially with the little girl, "my baby brother?"

"Really?" the child squeaked. Temari couldn't help but smile as she shook her head yes.

"Temari!" Yoshino called from across the room interrupting the pleasant distraction for the kunoichi.

"Sorry, I have to go," the blonde apologized to the little girl as she patted the top of her head. The little girl nodded in understanding. The wind mistress sighed as she walked to where Yoshino was sitting with five men that Ino had pointed out earlier as being important elders of the clan. "Yes, Yoshino?" Temari asked as she came near the group. The Sunan felt as though all eyes were on her for some reason, as if she was being judged.

"Thank you so much for all of your hard work today, please sit with us for a little bit," the Nara woman requested sweetly as she motioned for Temari to sit with them.

Temari glanced over at Ino because every instinct in her body was telling her to decline, but Ino nodded indicating to sit. ' _Damn it, that's what I was afraid of_ ,' Temari inwardly cursed. "I would be honored," the Sunan responded with her best political façade. She had spent years as an ambassador and knew how to play these types of games when needed.

Things started off pleasantly enough with idle chit chat, but then conversation progressed to the point that Yoshino completely stopped talking while two of the men were rather aggressively stating their opinions on how the clan should be run. Temari had behaved and only interjected politely here and there when asked, but she was quickly getting fed up with these men pretending to know all the answers when they were completely incorrect in their thoughts and ideas. "Well, what do you think young miss?" the one man asked in a rather condescending tone. "Or is this a little over your head?" he added with sneer.

The wind mistress stood up quietly, but with a presence that was suddenly felt by all in the immediate vicinity. She looked down to Yoshino first, "I'm so sorry, but this needs to be said." The Nara woman nodded her head and Temari could have sworn she was fighting back a smile. "Gentleman, since you appear to be uninformed on multiple things, please allow me to enlighten you. I am Sabaku no Temari of Suna. I am daughter of the fourth Kazekage and sister to the fifth Kazekage," the blonde stated as she raised her chin proudly. "I am Suna's ambassador to Konoha and its primary tactician. You need to understand that I am a genius and the only greater mind left in the shinobi world now is Shikamaru Nara." The blonde then proceeded to break down every point the gentlemen had discussed, explain how it was incorrect, what should be done instead, and the precedents and data to back up her statements. As Temari continued to explain and tear apart every detail the hall began to fall silent, but she didn't care. She glared at the two offending men as she finished her rant. "I now understand why Shikamaru didn't want to come," she growled. "I have to tell him he was right again, do you know how much I hate that? Instead of letting a young man grieve for his father, you would have been here pressuring him with your own personal agenda. You are pathetic and disgusting." The blonde turned around to face away from the table to see every eye in the hall watching her. She leaned down beside Yoshino's ear, "Again, I'm sorry for causing a scene."

"Don't apologize," she whispered back with a huge smile on her face now.

Temari held her head high as she strode toward the door. Something happened though, something in her body told her to look back towards the table. She glanced back to see Shikamaru there, standing behind the two men and leaning over them saying something to them in hushed words. His expression and particularly his eyes contained an emotion she rarely saw in the lazy Nara. It was rage. Where had he come from? How had she not sensed him here? The blonde stopped by the door and watched the end of the exchange. Shikamaru looked to his mother as he finished who nodded in understanding of whatever had just been said. The dark haired young man then made his way purposefully across the hall towards Temari.

"Let's go," he said softly in an affectionate tone. He lightly grabbed her shoulders and turned her back around towards the door and guided her out, leaving his hand lightly on the small of her back. "I'm so sorry you had to deal with that," he apologized as he moved around the blonde taking her hand and leading her away from the building.

"Don't worry about it," the Sunan kunoichi shrugged. "I'm just glad that I'm not in trouble with you for what I just did."

Shikamaru's expression finally softened as he snorted. "You can't be in trouble for being right," he pointed out as he began to guide her through the Nara clan woods. He knew one of her secret hobbies was botany, so he thought this might be a good way to repay her for what she had just been through.

Temari found herself mesmerized by all the beautiful trees and plants as they walked through the forest. She had to stop several times to marvel at various ferns and flowers with childlike wonder in her eyes. Shikamaru began to point out and name the flora for her as they went. Three deer crossed their path at one point and barely gave the couple a second glance. Shikamaru suddenly stopped in the middle of the trail and began to rub the back of his neck which made Temari give him a questioning look.

"Would you like to see my house? It's not finished yet," he asked sounding conflicted about his offer.

"Sure," Temari answered almost enthusiastically which caused the uncertain Nara to smile.

* * *

"I thought you said it was a house. This isn't a house, this is a compound," Temari whispered as Shikamaru showed her around.

"Yeah, mom went a little overboard. I'm just now getting to provide input on the rest of the design and accommodations, but I'm not even sure where to begin," sighed the Nara as he rubbed the back of his neck. "If you think of or see anything design wise that could be improved, it would be a huge help," the shadow user added.

"Well," Temari started but paused and frowned.

"What?" Shikamaru asked as he turned to look at the woman as they stood in a courtyard between the main house and three other buildings.

The kunoichi sighed as she began. "OK, this may sound weird, but just trust me. You have the two children's bedrooms almost at the exact opposite end of the house from the master bedroom. This is fine for when they are older, but when you have a newborn you need to have them closer. Just think about it. You're going to be getting up at all hours of the night to feed them, change their diaper, and whatever else they need. Do you really want to go that far when you are severely sleep deprived?" The genius looked at her with a look that clearly conveyed that was not something that had ever occurred to him. "You could attach a small room to your master bedroom for a nursery that will be turned into an office once you're done having children," the blonde suggested as she shrugged.

"See, that's exactly the kind of thing I am clueless about," Shikamaru stated as he grabbed her hand and began to show her around more. "What about the kitchen? I don't cook much, so I have no idea what the best set up is," he asked trying to sound disinterested, but failing.

"You seemed to cook just fine this morning," Temari teased as they arrived in the area of the house that the kitchen would be in. Shikamaru picked up the blueprints and began to go over numerous details with her. The blonde Sunan answered his barrage of questions to the best of her ability. Once it seemed like he was finally slowing down she interrupted his train of thought. "Shikamaru," the wind mistress started with a concerned look on her face. "Are you living here even though nothing is really set up yet? No running water, no electricity, no bed, and no way to cook?"

The genius looked away as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Uhmm, well, yeah. It's OK though." He looked back at the kunoichi sheepishly as he shrugged.

The Sunan rolled her eyes as she stormed towards the genius. "Well, I guess you're staying at my place again tonight then. This all makes so much more sense now," she barked as she grabbed the blueprints out of his hands. "Go get your stuff, bring all of the blue prints, and we'll go over things while we eat dinner," the wind mistress ordered. The young man gave her a lopsided grin while his eyes conveyed his gratitude. The pony-tailed young man quickly went to retrieve the few belongings he had in the house as the Sunan yelled after him, "We're going out to eat too."

"What are you in the mood for?" the Nara yelled from somewhere in the house.

"I hate to say it, but I'm really craving some ramen," the blonde loudly answered.

The shadow user was walking slowly back into view as he met Temari's gaze. "Sounds good, but what if people think we're on a date?"

The four pig tailed woman shrugged, "Let them." Temari stared back, waiting to see what his reaction would be. The genius simply stood there smirking at her, which caused the wind mistress to break out in a smile back no matter how hard she tried to fight it. The pair stood there in silence for five whole minutes in a war of wills staring at each other, waiting to see who was going to break first. "Ok, ok, let's stop standing here grinning like idiots and go get some food," Temari finally said quickly as she turned away waving her arms.


	4. Chapter 4:Shikaku's final gift

**Chapter 4:Shikaku's Last Gift**

Shikamaru took the keys from Temari's hand as they approached the door of her room. She was animatedly talking about ideas for his home library and study as he unlocked the door and held it open for her. He couldn't help but smile despite the ache in his heart from his father's funeral earlier that day. The shadow user and Temari had enjoyed dinner without interruptions, which honestly surprised him. He had expected people to try to approach him today, but most people were simply nodding at him and continuing on their way. He couldn't help but wonder if he had been alone if people would have approached him to give him their condolences. The wind mistress interrupted his thoughts as she walked past him into the apartment. "Do you mind getting everything set up for shogi while I run through the shower?" she queried as she slipped her shoes off just inside the door. "Your clan had me running around quite a bit," she groaned as she walked towards the bedroom.

"Not a problem. I apologize again for the elders' behavior," the genius began as Temari waved dismissively.

"Believe me, I understand. The Sunan elders on the council are the same way," the blonde assured the young Nara. "I'm used to it," she walked back towards him before adding, "and used to putting them in their place." "Gaara has me to stick up for him," she beamed proudly. "They try to walk all over him so Kankuro and I keep them in check," the kunoichi bragged.

"Mhmmmnn," Shikamaru responded while watching her. _'Why do I find this woman so mesmerizing?'_ he wondered. The Sunan was so happy and talkative this evening. "Where is the shogi board?" he asked trying to sound uninterested even though he was really looking forward to a game or two.

"In that brown cloth bag over there," Temari answered pointing towards the corner of the living room area. "I'll be really fast!" she yelled as she disappeared into the other room.

"No hurry," Shikamaru answered. "Actually, do you mind if I take a quick shower after you?"

"Not at all," the kunoichi shouted as the sound of running water started.

The Nara set up the shogi board on the table in front of the couch then began to dig through his bag for something to change into. He heard the running water stop and a few noises coming from the other room.

"I'm out, it's all yours," he heard the Sunan yell.

He grabbed his things and headed into the bedroom towards the bathroom. Temari was in the room wrapped in a towel digging through her backpack. Shikamaru quickly directed his attention back to the bathroom door as he hurriedly walked in and shut the door behind him. ' _Curse that woman_ ,' he thought. ' _Doesn't she know that towel barely covered her?_ ' He closed his eyes remembering how luxuriously long her legs were and how the towel barely came to the top of her thighs. The shadow user shook his head as he pushed the thoughts from his mind and began to get undressed. ' _Nara clan business, Jonin commander, Konoha special strategies and tactics commander, eventually Hokage advisor when Naruto takes over,_ ' he thought trying to refocus his thoughts. Flashes of the night before began to appear in his thoughts. Holding her on the couch and sleeping with her wrapped in his arms. Shikamaru stepped into the running water and began to wash his hair quickly as he wrestled with his feelings. Then the images that kept haunting him began to appear before his eyes, the ones from the infinite tsukiyomi. The false memories of Temari on their wedding day and their wedding night began to play before him.

"It wasn't real," he reassured himself quietly as he hastily lathered up soap and washed himself. "Focus on what you are doing now and maybe things could be even better than the infinite tsukiyomi," he grumbled under his breath as he rinsed clean. The raven haired shinobi stepped out of the shower and promptly wrapped up in a towel as his hair stuck to his shoulders from the weight of the water. He grabbed a towel and began to rub his hair dry furiously. Shikamaru turned to look at his reflection in the mirror once he felt his hair was dry enough. "Good enough," he shrugged as he hung the towels up. He threw on dark green pants and a matching haori before staring at the mirror again. He reached up to his face lightly tracing where the scars on his father's face were. "I look so much like my old man," he sighed before walking towards the door.

Shikamaru walked through the bedroom and back into the living room to find Temari sitting on the couch sipping a cup of tea. The blonde had left her hair down and was wearing her sleeping yukata again, but this time had on shorts and a tank top underneath. She was curled up in the corner of the couch with her bare feet tucked under her. "Tea?" the woman asked gesturing towards another cup she had set out at the opposite end of the couch.

"Sounds fantastic," the shadow user answered as he sat down and reached for the cup. Temari slid the table with the shogi board over so they could both reach the pieces. "Where were we?" the genius asked after a long drink of the minty tea.

"The library," Temari answered as she moved the first piece.

"Hey, I didn't agree to you going first," Shikamaru half heartedly protested.

"Seriously?" the blonde replied looking over the top of her cup at him. "That one less move to defeat me is really going to make that big of a difference?"

"OK, fine," the Nara chuckled as he moved a piece forward. The two settled into their usual banter back and forth while discussing Shikamaru's house. The kunoichi had good suggestions for him, which was very welcome. The game was progressing rather quickly at first. The conversation grew quiet as they each began to think harder about their next moves, but it was a comfortable silence. The dark haired Nara sighed as he moved another piece. "You tricked me, didn't you?" he asked softly.

The blonde cocked her head to the side slightly with a small grin. "Whatever do you mean?" she queried moving her eyes from the board, to him, and then back onto the board.

"When I agreed to let you go first, I assumed that your ability in playing shogi was the same as when we had played before or slightly better," the shadow user explained as he watched her study the board intently. "You've improved dramatically," he stated the observation with awe in his voice.

"Shikamaru Nara, did you just give me a compliment?" Temari teased as she finally moved a piece. The kunoichi looked up at him as she arched an eyebrow.

The black haired Nara shifted his weight and placed his head on his hand as he studied the board. "I think I did," he responded sounding just as surprised as she was. Temari tried to watch his eyes flick back and forth between the pieces so she could have some idea as to what his plans were.

"So, are you going to talk about your father or are we just going to play shogi?" the blonde asked casually as she leaned back from the board.

"I'd rather play shogi," the genius answered quickly as he moved one of his pieces. "You're not going to make me talk about it, are you?" he grumbled as he stared at the board.

"No, I'm not going to harass you," the wind mistress answered as she moved one of her pieces rather quickly this time. "If you want to talk, I'll listen. If you don't want to talk about it, we'll talk about something else," she shrugged as the shadow user looked up at her. The blonde sighed as she placed her elbow on the table and rested her head in her hand as well. "We can just not talk and play. Whatever you want."

Shikamaru and Temari locked eyes as she lifted her gaze to meet his. Her emerald eyes did not appear angry or even disappointed. It looked like she knew this was exactly how everything would play out. The genius slowly moved one of his pieces and took one of hers without looking back down at the board. "I'm not sure what I want," he confessed appearing frustrated.

The blonde smiled as though he had just walked into a trap. He looked back down at the board and quickly ran through all possible scenarios in his head. There was no way she could put him in checkmate according to his calculations. What exactly was she thinking she could do? The kunoichi stood as she moved her piece to take his knight. She picked up the piece as she walked around to stand right in front of where he was sitting. The mistress of the wind reached down and gently pulled up his left hand palm up, placed the knight in it, and used both of her hands to wrap his fingers closed around it. The Nara stared up at her completely dumbfounded while she closed her eyes and gently kissed his knuckles as she removed her hands carefully. Temari slowly opened her eyes to look down on the shadow user and he could see sadness in them. Seeing a glimpse of emotion from the kunoichi confused him even more.

"Shikamaru," she breathed with a gentleness he had never heard from the woman before, "you are the knight now. Remember it is your duty to protect the King."

The statement was quiet but it hit the Konoha nin hard enough that he felt as though he couldn't catch his breath. The black haired shinobi slowly lowered his eyes to his hand as he gradually opened his fingers. His mind was working like mad trying to process what was happening and how. The blonde retreated back to her bedroom as he stared at the piece in his hand. He felt the tears building up in his eyes, but fought them back. He was determined to not cry in front of anyone this time. He was older and stronger now. ' _Why is she doing this?_ ' his mind screamed. _'How does she know about this?'_ The Sunan kunoichi walked out of the bedroom carrying a small ornate wooden chest with intricate deer carvings and scrollwork all over it. Shikamaru's eyes grew wide as he immediately recognized it.

"When?" he asked with his voice trembling as Temari sat the chest on the floor in front of him.

"Immediately after the Five Kage Summit," Temari answered softly as she placed a hand on his leg for a moment as she stood back up. "He was on assignment in Suna for a week and insisted that I be his escort. I tried to get out of it but Gaara insisted," she explained in a hushed tone. "He said that it's sealed with a special jutsu you would know if anything happened to him," Temari muttered as she turned to walk back over to the other side of the couch.

The young Nara grabbed her hand to stop her which whipped her back towards him. "Why didn't you tell me?" he barely choked out.

"I didn't know how," the kunoichi stuttered softly. "If you want me to leave while you open it," she started to say but stopped as she looked at the chaos in Shikamaru's eyes. "Nevermind, how about I just sit over there?" she requested while pointing to the kitchen area. The shadow user nodded in agreement as his eyes drifted back down to the chest.

Shikaku had been slowly carving this chest over the last three years. Shikamaru never thought to ask what it was or who it was for. Now that he was staring at it he couldn't believe the amount of detail on each panel. The Nara did a series of hand signs to release the seal keeping the box tightly closed. When he slowly opened the lid he could see that the box was filled with sealed documents. There was one on top that had 'Shikamaru, read this first' written in his father's neat script above the wax seal.

The Nara quickly read through the letter as his hands began to shake. The tears were welling up in his eyes as he moved on to looking at the other documents like a man possessed. There were some he pulled out and put to the side. They were tied up neatly with string and the letter on top had Yoshino printed neatly on it. Tears were streaming down the genius' face as he read through page after page. Ten minutes went by of him reading document after document. The genius reached for the tea he had been drinking and sipped as he continued to read like the action somehow would help to calm him. Temari silently brought him a second cup when the first one was empty. She watched and was trying to anticipate what he would need or what she could possibly do for him. He finally began to methodically put everything back in the chest exactly the way it had been about 45 minutes later. Shikamaru formed another series of hand seals to lock the box back and then stood up slowly. He glared down at the shogi table as if it had wronged him somehow. Temari was still quietly watching the shadow user when he suddenly picked up the board and threw it across the room. She jumped and somersaulted across the table out of instinct.

"How?!" he screamed to the ceiling. "You're still 10 steps ahead of me! How am I supposed to surpass you?" he demanded as his whole body began to shake violently.

Temari began to walk cautiously towards Shikamaru who had his back to the suite door. The Konoha nin buried his hands in his hair as though he would pull it out in frustration as his breathing got even faster. What the shadow user did not see and that Temari was very aware of was the fact that sand was slowly starting to spill into the room. The blonde reached the genius just as the sand began to take the form of the Kazekage. "Shikamaru," she commanded in a firm yet gentle voice, "look at me." The kunoichi grasped his shoulders forcing him to face her. "It's OK to feel overwhelmed right now," she explained in a soothing manner.

The man crumbled before Temari as he wrapped his arms around her like he no longer had the ability to stand on his own. He buried his face into her chest as he sobbed uncontrollably. Temari raised one hand palm out towards Gaara and slowly lowered it to her side indicating that everything was fine. The sand wielder gave her a questioning look then did a series of hand gestures that only the sand siblings knew. Temari responded to his questions with another series of hand signals as Shikamaru continued to weep. He knew Gaara was there now, but simply didn't care. The Kazekage nodded his head in response to Temari's last series of signals and left as silently as he had entered. The kunoichi began to run one of her hands through Shikamaru's loose hair as she wrapped the other arm around him protectively. The shadow user's hair was surprisingly long, coming to just below his shoulders. Temari let her fingers dance back and forth through his dark mane contemplating how soft and thick it was which she found was a particularly odd thing to think about considering the current situation. The Nara's breathing began to slow and his sobbing had changed to soft sniffling occasionally. "Come on," she encouraged as she slipped her hands under his arms and pulled him to stand up straight. She guided him towards the couch and tried not to chuckle when he violently shoved the table that the shogi board had been on out of the way. "That table never did anything to you," she scolded.

"He prepared for everything," the Nara finally said in a haunting voice as he sat back down on the couch. Temari carefully sat next to him and lightly placed her hand on his arm. "Everything I need to know for being clan head, for becoming the Hokage's advisor…anything I might ever need, is there," he explained as he gestured towards the chest. His voice held a combination of admiration and fear. "He's the one that helped you improve at shogi," insisted Shikamaru as he turned to face Temari.

"He made me play him for two hours every day he was in Suna," the wind mistress answered as a subtle smile came to her lips. "Honestly, it was one of the most stressful things I've ever had to do. He would bombard me with questions like I was being interrogated and still expect me to play my best."

Shikamaru actually laughed through the last few tears streaming down his face. "I hated it when he would do that, but he knew that technique would get the most honest answers from me," he chuckled. "Hopefully he didn't get any classified Sunan intelligence out of you."

Temari looked down at the ground as she folded her hands across her lap. "I probably could have handled that kind of questioning better," she mumbled.

"He was good at asking the hard questions," the Nara reminisced as he wiped the lingering tears off his face. "It wasn't necessarily that he wanted to hear the answers as much as it was he wanted you to think about it." The kunoichi nodded her head in response as she continued to look at the floor in front of the couch. "What did he ask you?" the shadow user asked as he narrowed his eyes watching how Temari was suddenly acting.

"Things" she shrugged as she looked off to the corner of the room. Temari was now actively trying not to look at the Konoha nin. "Didn't he write about some of those things?" she asked pointing towards the chest.

Shikamaru flushed slightly as he stuttered, "I wasn't sure how much you knew. I didn't know about any of this until right now."

The blonde turned to face him with her green eyes flashing with anger. "I'm not something to be traded away by my brothers," she explained in a low dangerous voice. "Gaara asked what I wanted and that was ultimately the deciding factor. This was not agreed to because it was what your father wanted. I don't care about what the Fire and Wind Daimyos want. Gaara wants a permanent tie to Konoha, but he wasn't about to sacrifice me to get that." The woman's voice was growing louder and fiercer with each word. "I don't give a damn about the Sunan elders and what they think is best for me. What I did is because," Temari suddenly stopped with her mouth slightly open looking confused about how to finish that sentence. She stood up and walked quickly into the kitchen as if the distance would help her think more clearly. She crossed her arms as she settled against the counter facing away from him.

The genius watched her every movement completely fascinated. He slowly stood in front of the couch and turned to face the kitchen as he murmured, "because why?"

"I agreed to the arrangement because I have strong feelings for you," she whispered over her shoulder towards him as if it was a heavy burden. "That doesn't mean that you don't have to earn it though," she added quickly and more forcefully as Shikamaru began to walk towards her. "I don't have to do anything. The details were worked out just in case you and I wanted to get married, that's all," she explained trying to downplay the situation as she stood back straight up and turned towards the approaching shadow user. Shikamaru slowly approached her with his arms lowered and palms out, almost like he approached deer in the forest. The shadow user wasn't really thinking about it, but this is how he got near to frightened animals. The kunoichi instinctively backed herself into a corner as he walked closer.

"So," the Nara murmured as he placed his hands on the counter to each side of her, "am I to understand that you and I together romantically is a possibility?" He was close enough that he was in her personal space, but still wasn't physically touching her. He was watching her intently, looking at her with eyes that made her want to melt into his arms like the night before. "I," he paused as he thought about how to best say what he was thinking. "I thought you would never consider someone that wasn't from Suna," he uttered. The Konoha nin's demeanor was hopeful and apprehensive at the same time. It was as if this whole situation was too good to be true.

Temari couldn't turn away from the dark haired young man now. She had nowhere else to go. She couldn't help but stare at Shikamaru with his hair down in waves framing his face. His haori hung loosely open showing a good portion of his toned chest. The handsome shinobi was making it really hard for her to think rationally. The wind mistress took a slow step forward closing the distance between them and placed her right hand delicately against the bare skin of his chest. The shadow user closed his eyes at her touch briefly as if her fingertips had been charged with energy. When he slowly opened his eyes he brought his right hand up and brushed her hair lightly away from her face as he gazed at her expectantly, waiting for an answer. "Shikamaru, we are both intelligent enough to know that we have had feelings for each other for quite a while now," the blonde sighed. "It's a question of are we ready to be together now and all the complications that go along with it?" she asked as she stared into his piercing eyes. "The bond between us will be used against us by our enemies," Temari added softly with concern.

"I'm ready now," the genius breathed as he brought his face close to hers. "I've analyzed all the hazards and obstacles. It's a calculated risk that is worth taking, in my opinion," he breathed bringing his lips just within millimeters of hers. Temari closed her eyes as she wrapped her left arm around his waist. "You?" he whispered with a smile as he watched her intently.

"Would you please just shut up?" the kunoichi half growled as she pressed her body against his. "You're already five steps ahead in your mind and you know I agree."

Shikamaru took his finger and lightly traced her jaw line as he kept his lips tantalizingly close to hers. The wind mistress still had her eyes closed but seemed to tremble slightly at his touch. "I want to enjoy and remember this," he whispered with reverence as he moved his lips to gently kiss the side of her neck instead. The woman accidentally let a gasp escape her lips as the Nara tenderly kissed his way from her neck down her jaw. He had brought his other hand up gently to her opposite cheek to make sure that she didn't pull away from him. Temari's breathing had sped up and her face had flushed, but her eyes remained closed as he approached her lips again. The shadow user quickly pecked her lips but only pulled back far enough to see the expression on the kunoichi's face. Their noses were touching and Temari had wrinkled up her forehead and scrunched her nose, clearly not satisfied with the little kiss.

"Stop teasing me, Shikamaru," Temari hissed as she opened her eyes to see him smiling wickedly. "I do not want to count that pathetic thing as my first kiss."

"So, I am your first." the genius drawled with satisfaction in his voice as one of his hands slid back into her hair.

The blonde rolled her eyes in response. "I'm the 4th Kazekage's daughter and the 5th Kazekage's sister, do you seriously think anyone dared to even try?"

"I am," the Nara retorted as he gently kissed her and lingered for a few moments. He retreated to where their noses were still touching again and they were staring into one another's eyes.

"After how many **years**?" the kunoichi came back with, emphasizing the last word. "The fact that you have a signed and sealed document saying that it's ok probably helps too," she pointed out.

"Good things come to those who wait," Shikamaru quipped playfully as he kissed her more affectionately this time. The kunoichi's other hand found its way to the center of his bare chest which caused the shadow user to kiss her with more vigor. Temari slowly slid her hands across his upper body causing a surprisingly strong sense of yearning to come over the shadow user. Shikamaru found the sensation maddening even though she was barely touching him. "I think if I want to live, we need to go play shogi," the genius grumbled reluctantly as he pulled away from the blonde.

Temari couldn't help but softly snicker at the obvious frustration on the Nara's face. She slowly began to trail light kisses up his neck teasingly as she murmured, "Ah, so even now there is still that fear of my brothers?" The shadow user gave her a look that clearly stated he would be crazy not to be concerned about her brothers. "You can go find all the pieces and set up the board while I find something to drink," she ordered as she half heartedly pushed him away.

The shadow user growled an objection at Temari for creating distance between them. Shikamaru slid his other hand into her hair and pulled her back toward him so he could kiss her once more. The kunoichi smiled at him slyly as she rose up on her toes to meet his lips better. The new couple kissed with enthusiasm until the Sunan firmly pushed away the dark haired man. "Shogi," she murmured as she directed him towards the other room. It sounded as if she was trying to convince herself as much as she was ordering him.

Shikamaru nodded his head in understanding as he reluctantly began searching for the pieces that had been scattered around the room. Temari watched him fondly from the kitchen as she began to search through the items that her brothers had stocked the kitchen with while she was gone. When the Nara would glance her way she would quickly look down or pretend that she wasn't watching him. Shikamaru found the last piece as the kunoichi was grabbing two bottles. "Wine or sake?" she asked.

"Wine would probably be the better choice," the shadow user answered thinking it would be the less dangerous option.

Shikamaru was setting the board back up as the wind mistress approached the table and placed two wine glasses on either side of the shogi board. Shikamaru moved the table so it was near the couch and beckoned the woman to sit with him rather than on the opposite side. The wind mistress began to sit next to him when he suddenly wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her towards him. The two settled into the couch in a way that allowed both of them to reach their pieces.

"Ladies first," the genius murmured into the back of her neck causing shivers up her spine.

"So, now you're a gentleman?" the blonde jested as she moved a piece.

"I've always been a gentleman," Shikamaru pouted as he moved one of his pieces in response.

The two shinobi bantered back and forth before settling into quiet discussion about a variety of topics. They played shogi, leisurely sipped wine, and talked for hours. Shikamaru began to tell stories about his dad, his father's generation of Ino/Shika/Cho, and even Asuma sensei. Temari asked questions and listened more than anything since she realized that this is what he needed to do. This was his way of grieving. Temari stopped playing shogi as she grew tired, so Shikamaru started moving pieces playing himself as he continued to talk. The blonde listened to the genius fondly tell tales into the early hours of the morning. She was occasionally asking for a clarification here and there, but drifting in and out of sleep to the sound of the Nara's voice.

The raven haired shinobi heard her begin to snore softly which prompted him to stop talking and simply look at the sleeping kunoichi in his arms. "Troublesome," he murmured with a smile as he carefully moved to stand while gently picking up Temari. The Konoha nin carried her to the bed and placed her tenderly under the covers. He slipped off his haori as he walked around to his side of the bed slowly. The genius lay down on his back with his arms behind his head staring up at the ceiling while thinking about everything that had happened that day. The kunoichi began to stir which prompted him to look over at the woman as she slid towards him.

"Shikamaru," she whispered softly as she lightly placed her head on his shoulder and draped her arm across his chest.

"I'm here" he responded quietly as he kissed the top of her head. The genius wrapped his arms around Temari as he thought about everything that had happened. What he thought about the most was how much he was going to miss his father. This whole situation was so bittersweet. He couldn't share with his father how he was planning to marry a woman just as scary as his mother. Shikaku obviously knew, but it's just that Shikamaru never had the chance to have those talks with his dad. He didn't have the chance to have his father laugh at him for doing the exact same thing and telling him ' _I told you that you would understand someday_ '. If things were different, what kind of grandfather would Shikaku have been? Would he have spoiled a granddaughter rotten? Would he be tough on a grandson the same way he had been with Shikamaru, or would he gently question him and prompt the child to think independently? What kind of husband and father had Shikaku been and what did Shikamaru think he should emulate and what did he think he could improve on. Shikamaru sighed as he realized it was close to 4am. He had slept well for one night and apparently his mind was going to go back to keeping him up thinking about ten million things rather than sleeping. He was jolted out of his thoughts as Temari moved and adjusted her arms to hold him tighter, like she needed to know he was really there. The genius began to softly rub his hand back and forth across her shoulder blades, simply reassuring her. His eyes finally began to feel heavy as he tried to will his hand to keep moving, to simply keep stroking her back.

* * *

 _*Author's note-this is a long chapter but there was really no place to break this up that didn't break the mood in my opinion._

 _It's so good to see so many users I remember from when I was really active on here following, favoriting, or reviewing this story. I have really missed all of you and the great interactions we had! Work and life has just been really crazy, it still is honestly but I decided I wanted to start posting on here again anyway. I hope you all enjoyed it and please review!_


	5. Chapter 5: Good Intentions

**Chapter 5: Good Intentions and Complications**

Shikamaru was in the middle of a dream when his mind began to scream for him to wake up. The shinobi's eyes shot open as Temari was already rolling out of the bed. The kunoichi grabbed a kunai she kept under her pillow as she hit the floor in a defensive battle stance. There was a presence in the room and Shikamaru took half a second trying to figure out where he should go. The first instinct was to go between Temari and the intruder to protect her. Shikamaru realized that Temari's hand to hand combat skills were superior to his own and her wind jutsus had advantages when his own did not, he would only get in her way. It would be better for him to go the opposite direction so the enemy couldn't attack them both at the same time. The shadow user dive rolled out of the bed to the far side of the room and quickly weaved hand signs. The morning sun was shining in through the window thankfully so he had shadows that he could work with.

"It's Gaara," declared Temari as she lowered her kunai. The announcement was just a few seconds too late since the Nara had already felt the chakra of the Kazekage as his shadows had made contact with the mysterious figure. Shikamaru dropped his hands as it registered he was attacking the Kazekage. The genius' expression was frustrated but relieved. Temari's face was bright red as she walked up to her little brother. "Why did you scare us like that?" demanded the wind mistress sounding very unhappy. Her tone was cool but controlled.

"It's 10am," responded the red head as if that explained everything. "You don't sleep in that late unless you are ill, so I thought I should check on you."

"I was tired," explained the blonde as she tried to calm herself down. Realizing that her brother's motivation had only been concern made her feel better. The kunoichi turned and walked over to make the bed.

"What activities made you tired?" Gaara asked in his unnerving monotone voice.

"Excuse me?" the kunoichi fumed as her head snapped up to look at her youngest brother. The kunoichi's eye twitched as she glared at the Kazekage.

Shikamaru grabbed Gaara by the shoulders and led him out of the room since he was still close to the Kazekage. "He didn't mean it like that," Shikamaru called over his shoulder trying to protect the naïve young man. "My mother had her working pretty hard all day yesterday for my father's funeral because I refused to go," explained the shadow user to the red-head as he guided the sand wielder to stand over by the couch. He could hear Temari slowly counting under her breath as she slowly walked out of the bedroom.

"I don't demand privacy very often from you or Kankuro, but for the rest of our time here I would like that courtesy," she breathed obviously trying to not snap at Gaara. She knew he was socially awkward because of his childhood. He had come a long way over the years but some days dealing with him was more challenging than others. "The situation last night is one where you can just come in without permission, this morning it would have been more appropriate for you to knock," the kunoichi explained.

"Understood," the red head murmured as he nodded his head. "I apologize if I have upset you, that was not my intention."

The expression on the kunoichi's face softened as she replied, "I know it wasn't, Gaara. It's OK, I just really need my privacy right now. Things are complicated."

"There is another reason that I came in. We have been invited to Yoshino Nara's for lunch at 11am," the Kazekage stated to Temari before turning to Shikamaru. "It was specified that if you were here that you were to be informed that your presence is expected as well."

"Thank you, Kazekage-sama, for letting us know," Shikamaru acknowledged as he began to rub the back of his neck. "We probably need to get ready then," he mumbled absent mindedly as he tried to think what clothes he had that would be appropriate.

"We will leave in 45 minutes," stated the Kazekage before he disintegrated into sand and slid out under the door.

"Fantastic," grumbled Temari as she retreated back into the bedroom. "I was hoping I could avoid your clan for a few days to let what happened yesterday be forgotten, but that doesn't appear to be the case."

"It's just mom, not the entire clan," Shikamaru countered. "I think my mother is probably in love with you after what you did yesterday, so I don't think you could do any wrong in her eyes at this point."

"Well, at least someone in your clan doesn't despise me," Temari chuckled from where she was trying to comb her tangled hair in front of the mirror. "I guess I'll just wear my mission uniform since that is the only other thing I have other than funeral clothes," she thought out loud as she pulled her hair into her signature four pigtails.

"Well, this will probably come up today, but do you think you could stay for another week? We can go buy you clothes," Shikamaru offered trying to not sound like he was begging.

"Nara clan ascension ceremony?" Temari queried as she moved out from in front of the mirror so Shikamaru could put his hair up too.

"Yeah," the raven haired nin sighed. "We have a lot to discuss today."

* * *

oO0OooO0OooO0OooO0Oo

* * *

Temari and Shikamaru ended up back over at his house that was under construction after lunch with Yoshino. Shikamaru had given his mother the pack of letters from his father as they were leaving. When he explained where they had come from, she grabbed Temari and hugged her so tightly the kunoichi could barely breathe. Gaara and Kankuro were trying to leave when Yoshino had insisted that they couldn't leave without having dessert. Shikamaru and Temari took the opportunity to escape while Yoshino was focusing on the two young men from Suna. The duo took off through the Nara clan woods smiling at their get away since the hours at Yoshino's house had been intense at times. The negotiations and compromises between Yoshino, Shikamaru, Temari, and Gaara were exhausting but the final result was one that they all had agreed was fair.

The couple talked with the man in charge of construction on Shikamaru's house and made all the changes to the plans they had discussed the day before. The man quickly adjusted blueprints and calculations then offered compromises on a few things that couldn't be done quite the way Shikamaru asked. Temari wandered around the house again as Shikamaru and the foreman discussed one of the changes in depth. She sat on the deck overlooking a barren area that would eventually be the garden. Shikamaru and the foreman found her to ask her opinion on the final blueprint once they were satisfied. She looked over every detail and found that it was perfect. Shikamaru and Temari thanked the foreman for all of his work as they left. The couple then turned towards the main business district of the village to begin their leisurely stroll back. The two began talking in more depth about everything discussed at Yoshino's.

The walk back into the main part of the village felt too short. Shikamaru bought some dango at a vendor near the park and suggested they sit down there for a bit. The duo sat on a secluded bench looking over Konoha close together as they chatted quietly while eating. The wind was gently blowing and the sun was shining brightly which was absolutely perfect. Clouds dotted the sky and the couple watched them drift by as they continued to talk.

"Shikamaru! Temari!" yelled a familiar voice which caused the spiky haired nin to immediately cringe as he looked up to see Ino walking quickly towards them. "Shikamaru, do you have any idea how much of a buzz you caused last night?" the platinum blonde quizzed him as she crossed her arms across her chest. The shadow user shrugged in response. "Temari, do you understand that you completely humiliated two of the most revered elders in the Nara clan?" she snapped as she turned to face the wind mistress.

Temari grimaced as she started to respond but found Shikamaru spoke first. "They got exactly what they deserved," proclaimed the young Nara as he shot Ino a look letting her know that she was crossing the line. "Their ideas were misguided at best, irresponsible if I am being completely honest," the genius continued. "The elders should also have realized that they were speaking to a foreign diplomat and if they were better aware of the real world around them they wouldn't have made the huge mistake that they did yesterday." "They will learn that they will never speak to Temari that way again," he finished in a dangerous tone.

"There it is again!" squealed Ino with delight sounding just like she did in her younger days. "You're protective!" the Yamanaka proclaimed with a sense of awe. "Shikamaru Nara who is normally so lazy comes alive when it comes to Sabaku no Temari," the platinum blonde continued. "How romantic," she sighed sounding slightly envious.

"Ino, did you have a point you were making?" the wind mistress interrupted as she finished her last piece of dango. The Sunan's eyes darted back and forth as she analyzed the body language of the two Ino-Shika-Cho members. She was honestly surprised at Shikamaru's reaction.

"Oh! Yes! Everyone was talking about the ceremony next week and what last night may have foreshadowed," the sensory nin explained as she raised an eyebrow at the genius. Temari looked from Shikamaru to Ino and then back to Shikamaru trying to understand what the platinum blonde was insinuating. "Will there be something the clan has never seen before?" hummed the kunoichi.

"I haven't got that far yet," the shadow user answered sounding perturbed. "You are mainly concerned since what I do will either help or hurt you with your ascension ceremony," the genius drawled.

"It would be nice to know what is going to happen with yours so I can plan accordingly and possibly put a disaster plan in place if needed," the platinum blonde smiled sweetly. The Sunan woman was now perplexed as she looked back and forth between the two members of Ino-Shika-Cho. The fan wielder was curious about what was possibly going to happen that would warrant a disaster plan.

"I'm working on it, ok? We just arranged everything with Gaara and Kankuro for her to stay in Konoha until after the ceremony. I was trying to take things one step at a time," he grumbled. "I will let you know what the plan is once I work out all of the details."

"So she will be there!" Ino chanted with enthusiasm as she clasped her hands.

"Ino, if you don't mind?" chimed in the shadow user as he gave her a look that clearly said it was time for her to leave.

"Ah, yes, sorry," the platinum blonde giggled. "I'll leave you two love birds alone," sang Ino as she walked away.

Temari looked at the shadow user expectantly, waiting for him to explain what on earth that was all about. Shikamaru groaned as he leaned back into the bench while bringing his hand to his face. "Why can't things ever go like I plan?" he wondered out loud under his breath. The wind mistress simply sat there and waited, staring at him. "Tomorrow," he stated as he stood up from the bench. "Leave tomorrow open because I need to take you somewhere," he explained as he offered his hand to pull her up. "Can I walk you back to your inn? There are some things I need to go take care of," he sighed.

The wind mistress shook her head from side to side as she noticed he had kept a hold of her hand again. "I'll be fine," she stated as she looked down on the village. "It would be good for me to walk around some to figure out where everything is now," she reasoned as the shadow user stepped closer so they were face to face. "I have to go buy some clothes anyway," she sighed. His hand still held hers as he rested his forehead on hers looking down into her emerald eyes. The Suna nin looked slightly flustered. "This is awfully public, what if someone sees us?" Temari questioned as she moved her eyes scanning around them.

"Don't worry about it," he insisted as he brushed one of his fingers down the back of her hand. "I'll pick up dinner on my way back to your place, what do you want?" the shadow user asked quietly.

"Surprise me," the blonde responded with a grin which prompted a smirk back from the genius. The couple agreed on a time to meet back at the inn. Shikamaru reluctantly pulled away from the kunoichi as he gave her hand a squeeze. He slowly let her hand slide out of his as the two began to walk in opposite directions. They had walked only 10 paces when each glanced back at the other at the same moment. They both chuckled and smiled widely as they turned back and went on their separate ways. ' _Going back to Suna is going to be hard this time_ ,' the blonde lamented as she walked down the hill towards the new business district.

' _When she leaves, how will I deal with the months apart?"_ the Nara agonized as he shoved his hands in his pockets. He began to walk faster towards the Nara clan grounds trying to list off everything that he needed to do.

* * *

oO0OooO0OooO0Oo

* * *

The wind mistress spent the rest of the day shopping and wandering around Konoha. The first priority was to find some clothes, which was never an easy task for her. The kunoichi went in and back out of three stores before she even found something that she was willing to try on. The fourth store was unfortunately one of the more expensive clothing stores in Konoha, but that also meant that a lady was eager to help her find clothes that would look perfect on her. Temari tried on more outfits than she cared to count but ultimately settled on a selection of pieces she hoped would be enough to see her through another week in Konoha. Temari arranged for the clothes and one pair of shoes to be sent directly to where she was staying so she wouldn't have to carry them around for the rest of the day.

She found the new library next and spent two hours in there. She checked out several books that she wanted to thoroughly read over later. The blonde meandered through shops and looked at some of the trinkets and wares offered. Temari couldn't resist buying a little stone weasel that reminded her of Kamatari. The Sunan ran into TenTen, Sakura, and Hinata at a quaint tea shop and joined them for a quick drink. The tea and refreshments that the young women suggested were superb, so Temari made a mental note of the name and location of the shop so she could come back again when she had more time. The wind mistress ended up making plans with Sakura to do a few things the day after tomorrow. She was surprised at how easy it was to talk to the pink haired nin. The blonde had slightly lied about needing to leave simply because she wanted some time to go back to her room and unwind alone. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy the ladies' company; she just needed time to recharge with everything that was happening. Temari was approaching the door of her suite when her brothers came out of theirs.

"Hey," greeted Kankuro.

"We will be leaving for Suna in the morning," stated Gaara in his usual tone. "Are you sure that you won't need an escort when you return?"

"I've made the trip to and from Konoha alone many times," the blonde answered warmly to her brother's concern. "I will be absolutely fine."

"We're grabbing dinner with Naruto and Choji at some barbecue place," the puppet master chimed. "Want to join us?"

"Thanks, but Shikamaru is picking me up something and will be here in an hour or so," the kunoichi replied.

"Hey sis," Kankuro said as he put his hand on her shoulder, "we gave Nara a hard time, but you do seem happier when you're around him. Guess he's all right for some nerd from Konoha."

"Thanks?" responded the eldest sand sibling hesitantly.

The trio chatted back and forth until Kankuro's stomach began to object loudly. Temari waved goodbye to her brothers as they went to meet the Akimichi and Hokage in training. She slowly unlocked the door to her suite as she thought about everything that had happened yesterday and today. The kunoichi shut the door behind her as she started to pull the large iron fan from her back. The blonde looked around the room, not sure if she wanted to put it in the living room or the bedroom. She decided to put it just inside the doorway of the bedroom. The nin knew that everything was peaceful since the end of the war, but she felt it best to always be prepared. Temari glanced at the clock to see how much time she had before Shikamaru would arrive.

The woman quickly cleaned up, put away her purchases, and changed into her comfortable yukata. She warmed up some sake and took it over to the table where she had set the books she brought home from the library. The blonde picked one up on the history of the clans of Konoha as she settled onto the couch. She poured some sake slowly from the sake bottle into the small cup and took a long drink. The warmth slowly spread across her chest as she lay back into the corner of the couch and started flipping through the pages. She was a speed reader, but there were certain sections that she slowed down for or even read twice. When she reached the chapters on the Nara clan, she read through quickly, and then went back to the first chapter concerning them and read slowly so she could completely digest the information. The woman shook her head from side to side as she poured herself another drink. "Haaa," she muttered to herself as she brought the cup to her lips. "Well, that may be an issue," she professed to the empty room.

* * *

oO0OooO0OooO0OooO0OooO0Oo

* * *

Shikamaru arrived late that night, but Temari wasn't upset since she had lost track of time while reading. The shadow user was starving and clearly frustrated with whatever it was that had delayed him. The kunoichi had not pressed for information as they ate dinner. The Nara went and took a quick shower as she set up the shogi board. Temari asked what was bothering him as she offered him a cup of warm sake before settling onto the couch to play their nightly game. The Nara explained that he had been dealing with clan business and some things were not going as smoothly as he would like. He changed the subject quickly by explaining that he was planning on going to his father's grave the next morning since she had insisted on being there. Temari noticed his evasion, but let it go since he seemed more talkative tonight. The couple only played one game of shogi before agreeing to head to bed. It was already late and they had decided on an early morning the next day despite Shikamaru's reluctance. Temari took the shadow user's hand and began to lead him towards the bedroom when he stopped suddenly.

"I," he paused, "I can sleep on the couch if you would be more comfortable." The blonde turned around and gave him a puzzled look. "Well, I mean, I am kind of getting used to this and that's going to be a problem when you leave," he mumbled as he looked down avoiding her eyes.

"So, I'm spoiling you?" the kunoichi asked with an amused tone. He still wasn't making eye contact with her, which made Temari think that something had happened to rattle him while dealing with his clan business. "What happened?" she inquired gently as she tugged on him forcing him to follow her. He just shrugged as he finally looked up at her with his dark eyes appearing conflicted. "OK, then I'll guess," she suggested playfully. "Does this have anything to do with the Nara clan ascension ceremony and the fact that you're supposed to be married before you can become the clan head?" the kunoichi wondered with a sideways glance. The Nara blanched immediately. "Mmmmhmmm, looks like I'm right," the wind mistress observed as she stopped at the foot of the bed. "The whole being able to supply a clan heir issue," sighed Temari while she cocked her head to the side as she studied the now fidgeting young man.

"There are some people that are more concerned about tradition than they are practicality," the pony tailed nin pouted. "I proposed what I thought was a reasonable compromise only to be stuck in heated arguments for the rest of the day," he complained as he began to rub the back of his neck.

"Wait here," the kunoichi commanded as she walked back towards the living room. She returned with one of the books she had been reading and pressed the edge of it into his chest. "Pages 352 through 356, genius," she cited with a curl to her lip. The shadow user took the book then quickly opened it to the pages she had directed him to and read hastily. Temari chuckled as she went over to her side of the bed, watching him as she slipped under the covers. His head snapped up as he stared at her for a minute, then they returned to the book again. "A precedent, that's just what you needed, isn't it?" the Sunan cooed from where she lay in the bed.

"Yes," he answered cautiously as his gaze slowly lifted from the pages again to meet hers.

The woman shrugged as she answered the unspoken questions in his eyes, "We'll work out the details later."

"You're not going to agree to anything until after you learn everything about me tomorrow," the shadow user warned. "I am more of a monster than you realize," the genius told the blonde softly.

"I will let you show and tell me whatever it is you think might change my mind, but I doubt you can scare me," the wind mistress replied as she sat back up on the bed. "Did I ever mention how horrific my childhood was?"

"We'll see," the Nara sighed. "This is not the way I wanted to do this," he complained as he looked back down at the floor. "I'm sorry," the shadow user murmured as he walked towards his side of the bed while taking off his haori.

Temari couldn't help but let her gaze drift up and down the young man's toned chest and defined abs. The kunoichi caught herself and snapped her eyes back up to his face that was still looking down thankfully. "Why? You don't have anything to be sorry for," she asked as the Nara pulled out his pony tail holder, placed the book on the bedside table, and slid into bed beside her.

"You deserve better than this. I swear I will make it up to you," he whispered as he pulled the blonde into his arms.

"I do and you will," the kunoichi chuckled as she turned her face up to his to look into his dark brown eyes.

The shadow user was shaking his head at her as he smiled. "So brutal," he hummed as he leaned his head down to kiss her.

"Mnhmmm," she hummed back as she moved to meet him. The kiss between the couple was slow and sensuous as Shikamaru brought one arm around her back so he could slip his fingers into her hair. The kunoichi's breath hitched for a moment causing her to momentarily pull her lips away from his. Shikamaru and Temari both opened their eyes to look at the other and simply smiled. Shikamaru wondered if Temari's eyes had always gleamed the way they did in this moment, or if this was something special that only he would see. The blonde hesitantly lifted her lips back to his as she closed her eyes. The dark haired nin felt her hands glide across his bare chest and slide slowly down his sides which caused him to hiss at her. The Sunan's eyes fluttered open with a curious look up at the shadow user.

"Temari," he breathed while looking into her gorgeous emerald eyes, "I need you to stop, please." The Sunan gazed at him with a smoldering look that made him wish that he could trust himself. The dark haired nin raised a hand to the side of her face as if he was touching something he had never dared to dream of. "We need to move slowly and you need to wait until after tomorrow before deciding you want to be with me," he said in a hushed tone as he let his thumb brush across her cheek. The blonde closed her eyes as she placed her hand over his. Shikamaru was in awe of how much gentleness and caring he had seen from the terrifying wind mistress today.

"I still think you are worried about nothing, but I will respect your request," she murmured as she gently pulled his hand from her face. "I trust you," she whispered with a smile as she opened her eyes to look at the shocked genius.

"I don't trust me right now," Shikamaru smiled back as he shook his head from side to side. "We have an early day tomorrow, so we need to get to sleep."

The Sunan nodded her head in understanding as she moved herself so she could lay her head on the dark haired shinobi's chest. Shikamaru slid his arm around her and lightly kissed the top of her head as she settled in against him. The Nara felt himself drifting off to sleep quickly despite all the things he felt he still needed to think about. He would just have to figure things out in the morning.


End file.
